• pedagogiikka
• service design

Studies in Service Design

In the spring of 2022, I came across an advertisement on social media about the Service Design (MBA) studies being carried out in collaboration between Turku University of Applied Sciences and Novia. At that moment, a fixed-term employment contract and a little madness made me fill out the application form. I got excepted and next autumn I found myself once again doing Master ’s studies. However, I did not envision a future career as a service designer, and from the beginning it was clear that I wanted to extract elements from the studies that would be possible to utilize in my job as a teacher. In addition, studies conducted in English would enable more active use of the language.

So, what had I come to study? Sure, I had some kind of idea about it, but the reality didn’t match that idea at all.  As Design Council (2025) and Tuulaniemi (2011) state; defining service design is not exactly simple, but it is more of a general way of thinking that can be applied from design to design and from management to social sciences. Everyone can use this common thinking model as a common language in developing successful services.

I was not prepared for how comprehensively we were able to test and utilize different service design methods and tools for clients during our studies. Although, working in groups has its challenges, the basic studies of the education were nevertheless carried out quite smoothly, even alongside work. All the projects were very different in content, but I was very pleased when the students were given the flexibility to also apply for a client on their own. During that time, a major strategic change occurred in my children’s sports club, so due to personal interest, I as a real club activist, implemented several projects for them.

“In project learning implementation student not only strengthens professional competence, but also their skills on guidance and supervision”

Development work – implementation content in a new way

As I had applied to Service Designs studies to expand my knowledge and skills, so it was very natural to choose the topic of the development project from work. During the third year, students in the Biomedical Science degree complete a total of 15 ECTS in project learning studies. Project learning studies are part of the students’ practical training and in this implementation, students implement various projects, are a part of the Turku UAS customer service laboratory staff, supervise and mentor younger students, but above all, take responsibility for their own activities. In this implementation student not only strengthens professional competence, but also their skills on guidance and supervision. Implementation is strongly based on Turku UAS innovation pedagogy, Innopeda ®, where learning is carried out in an authentic, possibly multi-professional environment and each learner is given the opportunity to solve real questions or tasks in order to create, test, implement and evaluate the received answers. By these means and methods it can be ensured that students take responsibility for their learning and actively strive towards learning goals. (Joshi et al., 2022; Kairisto-Mertanen & Konst, 2019.)

Unfortunately, the study module in question had received negative feedback for quite some time, as students experienced several uncertainties related to time limits and schedules. Feedback and challenges regarding these issues had been identified, but due to the coronavirus and other time constraints, no changes had been made. However, this development project opened up the opportunity to develop the implementation using service design methods and tools, and it also made possible to involve both students and teachers in the development process.  In the development project Biomedical laboratory science Degree’s Project learning implementation of 15 credits was designed into a more functional and smooth entity for students and teachers. The goal of this development work was to promote the well-being of all parties involved, by reducing uncertainty, but also to promote students’ credit accumulation and on-time graduation.

Comparing old and new

In the old implementation model, students were responsible for booking their work shifts, and hours and credits were accumulated depending on how well the student managed to book work shifts. Some students were greedy for hours, while others were left without work shifts. Since it was a very extensive implementation, this caused students a lot of uncertainty about the progress of their studies and graduation. The students’ anxiety about the implementation was often noticeable even before the studies began, when the conversations of the older students had reached the ears of the younger ones.

The new model developed in the project moved from students’ independent scheduling of work shifts to a clear, predetermined schedule. Students now complete 12 credits (8 weeks) in intensive periods on campus. The eight-weeks can be divided into shorter weekly periods over two semesters, according to the students’ wishes. The new model guarantees each student will receive the same amount of work hours. The students’ schedule for activities and mentoring will be planned advance for the weeks. During these eight weeks, the students will work in the Turku UAS customer laboratory service, supervise younger students and will take a part in various projects and in multidisciplinary supervision.

“Deeper clarification and insights were necessary”

How was Service Design applied?

Service design can combine old things in a new way. It is a concrete activity that combines both the needs and expectations of the users and the business goals of the service provider into functioning services. In service design the customer is always a part of the service event. (Stickdorn et al. 2018; Tuulaniemi, 2011.)

Even though the challenges facing the implementation were well known, it was important to take a broader look at the whole. There were multiple things to consider. How would the new implementation and the changes to it affect students and their goals? What would be the impact on the progression of studies and other courses? What impact would the changes have on teachers and possible projects?

Deeper clarification and insights were gathered through observation and surveys from students, but also discussions with the staff.  When developing services, it is necessary to understand the reality the customer lives and works in (Tuulaniemi, 2011.). Understanding and deepening the Insights of all parties was done with persona definitions, a stakeholder map and customer journey mappings.

The planning phase of the development work began in February 2023 and the first prototype of the model was presented to all the degree teachers in the spring of 2023. The minor wishes and changes of the teachers were notified and in the fall 2024 project learning studies were launched in the new format. Feedback from the student experiences was received verbally but also collected via surveys in November 2023 and in April 2024.  Based on the results obtained, the model was further developed and clarified. Some small changes were made during the same academic year, but the student group starting their project learning studies in the fall of 2024 had an opportunity to a wider influence on the timing of the weeks planned at the school. This was probably the biggest change that was done in the new model after launch.

“The pre-planned weeks made it easier for students to balance other studies and work”

Experiences on the new model

In the new model, the students were flexible with the planned weeks and exchanged weeks with each other if necessary. In summary, the feedback received verbally and through surveys showed that the new model with weekly options significantly reduced uncertainty about the progress of their studies. The pre-planned weeks made it easier for students to balance other studies and work. According to the degree teachers, the model worked better than the previous one but was not completely problem-free. In certain weeks, there were too few student supervisors, and correspondingly in certain weeks there was not enough active work, which caused various challenges. However, it was obvious that this new model supports, for example, students who want to accelerate their studies or are considering studying abroad.

During the spring 2024 the study program was notified that the degree would receive an additional funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture to start the first multi-format study program in the spring of 2025. This decision confirmed that starting from fall 2024 student’s curriculum would contain only 10 credits of project learning studies instead of previous 15 credits. This decision was strongly influenced by the awareness that within a few years there would be nearly 70 BLS- students doing their project learning studies at the campus. Unfortunately, there would not be enough projects for all of them and the premises alone would be too cramped of all students.

Due to the new study program the degree has been able to hire an educational assistant. Starting from spring 2025 the hired staff member has taken a bigger role in maintaining the operations of TUAS customer and laboratory services but also guiding the activities of students in project learning studies. Responsibility for pedagogical content and planning related to the schedule is still up to the teacher, but the daily presence of the new staff member on campus has facilitated and clarified the students’ daily activities.

Conclusion

Because of the development work, the Biomedical laboratory degree has managed to streamline the implementation that has previously caused significant challenges for students. The challenges have not been limited to students only, but teachers have also had to balance them, especially with the equal treatment of students. With the new model, students’ concerns about accumulated hours have decreased. Despite the positive changes, the development work does not stop there – there is always room for improvement and continuous development is an essential part of quality teaching.

In summary the service design studies provided a wealth of new tools for both development and project work. Although the project reporting was delayed from the original plan, one can easily be satisfied that all basic studies and project were done in the right timeline with class members.  Studying is not always fun and easy, but in retrospect, the time passes quickly, you are able to meet new friends and evolve in some ways.

The thesis of the graduand in Theseus: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202503023542

Sources:

The Design Council, 2025. Framework for innovation. Available: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/framework-for-innovation/

Joshi, M., Storti, A., Scheinin, M. & Konst. T. (eds.) 2022. Innopeda Quality Handbook. Turku AMK. Available: https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/753168/isbn9789522167859.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Stickdorn, M., Hormess, M., Lawrence, A., Schneider, J. 2018. This Is Service Design Doing: Applying Service Design Thinking in the Real World. O’Reilly Media, Inc.

Tuulaniemi, J. 2011. Palvelumuotoilu. 4. painos. Talentum Media Oy.

Kairisto-Mertanen, L. & Konst, T. 2019. Innopeda ja CDIO tarjoavat avaimia käytännönläheiseen oppimiseen. Talk-verkkojulkaisu. Turku AMK. Available: https://talk.turkuamk.fi/innopeda/innopeda-ja-cdio-tarjoavat-avaimia-kaytannonlaheiseen-oppimiseen/

Thesis in Theseus:

Friman, A. 2025. Developing studies with Service Design. Master’s Thesis. Turku University of Applied Sciences.